Love halts for no one
by Scarlet-Passion
Summary: ZUTARA WEEKS 2011! My fanfic entries for this week. Started late, so forgive me for the slow updates. Enjoy!
1. Mask

Prompt: Mask

She could be in Ba Sing Se. She could be in the South Pole. She could be flying through the skies on Appa.

It doesn't matter where she is. She will always remember this day.

On this day, her life changed forever.

She walks through the dark night, weaving her way through alleys and streets of the outer ring of this great city.

It's so late. Everyone is asleep. No one is around.

God she wishes someone was _here. _Just someone to _sit _with her.

She finds a bench in a pitch black alley and sits there. She presses her hand so hard against the pendant on her neck that she can feel a tiny choke on her throat.

But she doesn't stop. The pendant is like a button; maybe, if she pushes it hard enough, she'll see _her _again. Kaya. The chief's wife.

Katara's mother.

Katara brings her hands to her face and leans against her knees, letting out a heavy, shaky sigh against her hands.

She can feel his eyes on her. She doesn't know it's him. She doesn't care who it is; she can handle herself. She's proven that.

Eventually, however, she grows sick of his gaze. She looks up, the distant light of the street lamp just illuminating her tear-stained face. "What do you want?" she demands loudly, her voice hoarse from crying.

The dark figure doesn't move from his place on top of the building. But she can see him. He doesn't say a thing.

"Why are you here?" she demands, "I'm not some damsel in distress. I don't need saving."

The figure remained silent.

"I know who you are," she says, "I know you are the great Blue Spirit and that you've taken station here to be some superhero. Some savior for the poor fools who can't defend themselves."

No movement. No words.

"Well you can't help me," she says. She looks down at the ground. "No one can help me," she whispers. Another tear falls without her control and she closes her eyes, once again not caring that he is watching her.

Only moments later, she feels movement beside her.

She looks up and standing to her side is the Blue Spirit. "Go away," she says.

He moves this time; he steps closer.

"Fuck off!" she hisses.

He hesitates. Then he sits beside her. She is frozen in her spot, watching her carefully, but she doesn't react badly. Then he touches her shoulder.

It's that one touch that makes her fall apart, "I miss her so much." She covers her mouth with hand, surprised by her burst of words. Then a harsh, powerful sob breaks out of her and her small frame shakes immensely.

She closes her eyes, letting the tears fall down her cheeks.

The Blue Spirit watches her. He grips her shoulder tighter, hoping that his one change of touch will communicate a question: _Who did you lose?_

Somehow, she knows. She answers, "My mother died six years ago today."

He knows a disease didn't kill her mother. That kind of death didn't cause so much pain six years later.

Katara's mother was taken from her.

The Blue Spirit pulls away his mask, revealing his face.

Katara doesn't know this, though. The darkness of their location shrouds both their faces in shadow. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

Katara lets out a bitter laugh, "Everybody is."

The Blue Spirit, now showing his true identity as Zuko, whispers "I lost my mother."

Silence.

"I don't if she's dead. All I know is that she left," he says, "Nobody told me they were sorry."

Katara, her eyes now dry of tears, looks towards the sound of the voice.

"No one said anything. I had to deal with it all on my own."

"I still haven't dealt with it," she replies.

"Neither have I."

Katara lets out another bitter laugh. She looks away from the voice, into the darkness of the alley, "Is heart-to-heart conversation with grieving girls part of your superhero agenda?"

Zuko is silent for a moment. Then he answers, "I'm not a superhero."

Katara frowns at his words. Then she reaches randomly into the darkness and finds Zuko's gloved knuckles still holding the doa sword. "Maybe not," she says.

Silence.

"But tonight, you came pretty close." Then she reaches her other hand out for his face. Finding his cheek, she then brings her face forward and presses her lips against his cheek. She lingers there for a while, feeling his cool, smooth skin beneath warm lips. Then she pulls away and whispers in his ear, "I'm not going to say sorry about your mom. I'm not going to say it because she's not dead. You should still try to find her."

He's still reeling from the shock from her kiss when her words register for him. When he finally opens his mouth to say _anything_, Katara whispers, "Thank you for listening." Then she stands up and walks out of the alleyway, not looking back, leaving a very confused Zuko behind. He'll go home that night and spend the next week thinking about that girl he couldn't see and how she completely outranked Jin.

He'll wonder about her words and for one moment, he'll actually think that he could be a superhero.

That he could save his mother.

Little did they both know that only a few weeks later they would be sharing the exact same moment they had in the alleyway, only underneath Ba Sing Se in the catacombs.

And even then, neither will know that it was Katara that kissed the cheek of the banished prince.

Neither will ever know.

But it'll stay with both for a very long time.


	2. History

Prompt: History

She stands out in the quiet field. She is pacing back and forth, her hands pressed against her mouth as she tries to calm herself down.

But she can feel the rumble of the earth behind. She can see a golden light in the distance and she knows her village is no longer her home.

They took it like they take everything.

But she still waits. She blocks out the screams and the shouts. She blocks out the images in her head of less than two hours ago when her family was slaughtered by the Nazis. Everyone.

They all went exactly like her mother.

And now, all she can do is wait for what she has left. If he was careful like she told him to be, he should meet her very soon.

"God, please let him be here," she whispers. She sits down in the grass, pulling her legs up to her chest. She digs her face into her legs, blocking the entire world out except for the image of his ember eyes.

But she can still keep track of time and it feels like hours have passed. He stills hasn't come and when she looks up, her eyes are stained with the tears she shouldn't have ever shed. It is only after she lets out her broken sob that she hears something.

A rustle.

She snaps her head to the right. "Who's there?" she demands.

No answer.

She stands up, backing away slowly. "Who's there?" she shouts, her voice rising in her fear.

Then a person walks into her line of sight. "Katara?" he calls.

The voice makes all her muscles relax. She lets out a relieved laugh as she calls back, "Zuko!" She runs forward to see him more clearly, but she stops in her tracks. She stares at him in shock, "Your face."

"It was the fire," he lies, visibly fighting the pain.

She knows he's lying. "Why did they do this do you?" she demands.

He walks up to her. He reaches out his hand and brushes away the tear that had dried on her face, "It doesn't matter."

"It all matters!" she shouts, knocking away his hand, "Everything that has happened here; _this_…that happened to _you_—"

"It wasn't _you_," he cuts her off, "It was my choices that let to it."

"You didn't choose to fall in love with me," she retorts, her blue eyes glistening with tears.

"And you didn't either," he replies. His eyes, even as the left is swollen under the ripe burn, still shines as bright as the flames burning her village—and infinitely more beautiful and good.

She stares at him, completely dumbfounded at how he can still go on. Even after everything he's been through, he's still standing here before her, determined as ever. She runs forward and flings herself into his arms, pressing her lips deeply against his. Even under the pain of his scar, her weight is nothing. He wraps his arms around her waste and hugs her tightly against his body.

They pull their lips apart and she whispers, "I love you."

This time, it is his tears that fall. They burn his already searing burn, but he doesn't even flinch. He just presses his lips against hers once more, unwittingly pressing his tears into her face.

He is crying because he knows he will never see her again.

She is just about to ask why he is crying when he pulls away sharply. He listens into the forest and seconds later, she hears the same shouts he hears. They are the soldiers that are coming to kill the traitor and his dame.

Zuko looks back at Katara one more time. Then he traps her lips in the shortest, deepest, most passionate kiss they would every share in their life.

He pulls away again and reaches for the schwa-stika sewn to the side of his arm. He tears it off his uniform and hurls it into the field. He then reaches into his pockets and pulls out the pearl dagger his uncle had given him when he was very young. Katara looks down at the dagger and takes it before he even has to reach out to give it to her.

He leans down and whispers in her ear, "Get to America. New York City. I will find you. I swear it." Then he turns away from her, towards the forest.

She wants nothing more than to pull him with her.

But she knows better than anyone that they will both die if they both run. She wouldn't mind that.

But in death or in life, he would.

So she bolts away from him. She clutches the dagger to her chest and runs faster than she ever has in her life, all the while, his words echoing in her mind.

And even though he knows he will die, he doesn't believe it for a second. He doesn't believe it because even though he _know _he will die, he is certain that he will see Katara again.

He closes his eyes once, seeing her bright blue beautiful pupils in his mind.

Then he hears guns click and he reaches for his pocket to draw his own weapon.


	3. Social Network

Prompt: Social Network

United Republic is said to be the most innovative piece of engineering in history.

Recently, they developed this new form of technology called internet.

Katara isn't sure how it works; she isn't even sure what it is. But there is this "website" she can't get enough of. It something called PeopleBook.

She can meet other people from around the world on it (though she's already done that by herself) with a single click of the mouse. Other people have described it as a drug, something they're addicted to.

They're absolutely right.

Katara hates it, but she can't stop using it.

She's updating her profile one day when chat pops up for her. It's from Zuko. She smiles and answers warmly.

That is the start of many conversations to follow.

At parties, Zuko and Katara would end up having a conversation all by themselves, laughing at what he said while she was off washing up for bed.

No one else got their jokes. No one else understood their references.

But that's okay because PeopleBook is made to keep all the secret.

Then one day, Zuko logs on while drunk out of his mind. He sees Katara on and clicks on her icon: _Hello?_

Katara sees the word and answers back happily.

But by the time the conversation ends, her face is hotter than Azula's lightning. She tries to tell herself that he only said those things because he is drunk, but she has trouble convincing herself of that as she lies in her bed that night.

He had said he missed. He had said she was beautiful.

He had said he loved her more than Mai.

The next day, neither mentioned it. Over time, it was completely forgotten.

But Katara would sometimes be up late on the stupid social networking site while Aang slept in the master bedroom, hoping that the scarred king would log on and tell her once more how he felt.

She can't explain why she would feel that way, but for the next twenty years her heart would jump just a little bit higher when she saw Zuko than with anybody else. It never goes anywhere.

But she has these feelings now that she must live with. The only thing she can hope for is that Zuko is silently struggling along with her.


	4. Secret

They have fought it for so long. In their hearts, their was a connection that started developing the moment he took her necklace.

That was so many years ago.

Long after the war, they still hid their feelings, expertly keeping them silent, unaware that the other felt the exact same away.

Then, one day, Katara came to visit the Fire Nation Capital. Aang had been called for negotiations in Ba Sing Se and Mai and Zuko weren't speaking.

Katara and Zuko spent the day together. They said they were going as friends and for the most part, that was true. They dressed as civilians and spent the day on the town like regular kids who had to be back at home by eleven.

Except that they weren't regular kids. He was the Fire Lord and she was Chieftess of the Southern Water Tribe and life partner to the Avatar.

That's why the day was so perfect. They understood each other perfectly and for that one day, they were just Zuko and Katara. There was no titles or past grudges or great skills to define their names.

By the end of the day, they were just two friends sitting on the beach, watching the stars shine in the sky. Before Zuko's reign, the stars were never seen in the sky. But it had become law that in late spring, summer, and early fall all the lights in the houses and streets must be extinguished.

It was at the request of Katara whom he would do anything to please.

So hear they sat, with Zuko watching Katara as she smiled up at the sky, the bright stars making her eyes twinkle, "This is awesome, Zuko."

He smiled, "I knew you would like it." He put his hand on her shoulder. Instead of just smiling, she covered his hand with her own. Her touch was tender and soft. Zuko's eyes widened as Katara looked at him.

She was no longer smiling. Her eyes were glowing, intense, burning into him in a way that could've extinguished his inner fire. The next thing they knew, she was on top of him, slamming her lips against his. He grabbed her tighter in response.

They kissed each other in a desperate, animalistic way. In that one kiss, all their hidden emotions came rushing out with no way of being pulled back.

They pulled apart and shared a shocked look. Then she crawled off of him and they walked back to the palace in silence, a silence that would last for a long while.

Through the next few years, they're friendship degraded into one of stiffness and uncertainty. At parties, the ice between them would melt a little when their hands met in the crowd. It seemed to happen at every party and finally, five years after their kiss, Zuko took Katara's hand in a tight grasp and for a whole minute, they held hands.

They were both frozen in the spot, facing either direction, looking away from each other. They had both changed; she was now in her official royal water tribe robes, being the queen of the Southern Water Tribe. He was in his celebratory Fire Lord attire, his hair now the length of the previous fire lord's. They looked like two people one would never think were too _good_ to be in the position of forbidden love.

But when she returned his grip, both of their hearts jumped. She pulled her hand away as if she was going to walk away. But when she saw the no one was looking, she parted his long hair on his back and kissed the back of his neck as quick as the wind. She then walked away as he turned around and stared after her in shock.

They held hands more often after that. Since the end of the war, she made it her obligation to visit the Fire Nation once a month. She secretly relished those visits now as much as he did. Every time they were in the same hall, they would share a look, no matter who else was there. Late at night, when they were sure no one was around, they would embrace each other in the darkness of Zuko's childhood room.

At first, it was just a few stolen kisses. Then they started getting deeper. They would last longer, but they were only kisses. Some nights, they would only hold each other in a very long hug. They were sweet hugs that made Zuko warmer than he had ever felt in his life; Katara, on the other hand, wanted to crawl inside Zuko when they embraced each other in this way. She wanted to crawl inside to feel the delicious warmth he so described because when she held him, all she felt was guilt.

Soon enough, Zuko felt this as well and these once warm hugs soon melted into embraces of desperation as the severity of their actions finally dawned upon them.

Only one person knew of their actions and it wasn't of their choice for him to know. Iroh saw them one night as Katara came walking out of Zuko's room. He initially hid around the corner because everybody knew that his health called for no more chocolate—which he had in his hands.

But when he looked around the corner, he saw a forlorn Katara standing their, looking across the hall as tears poured down her face. He almost stepped out to talk to her when he saw another figure join her. His nephew walked out in front of Katara, his own face lined with the same guilt that Iroh could see plaguing Katara. His nephew bent down and kissed across Katara's cheek, wiping away the tears flowing so freely. Katara closed her eyes, feeling the loving warmth of Zuko's lips once before collapsing to the ground. She sobs into her hands as Zuko falls to his knees and holds her in an embrace. They rock back and forth in their spot, the only light the bright moon shining through the hall window.

Iroh walks away and doesn't mention it to Zuko in the morning. He never mentions it at all to anyone.

He only waits.

When Katara is not at the palace, Zuko manages. When he sees Mai, he is split between intense guilt and an unconscious instinct to compare the apathetic Mai with his vivid lover.

The result only causes a new wave of guilt.

He cuts his hair short to the same length it was at the end of the war, to Mai's dissatisfaction (or whatever she came close to expressing). He told her it was because the heat of his native nation gave him vertigo when his hair was that long.

He didn't tell her he cuts it because Katara had told him she liked his hair that short.

He didn't tell his uncle either, but Iroh had an uncanny intuition that told him many things he isn't supposed to know.

One day, when Katara arrived for her monthly visit, Zuko greeted her personally. He kept up enough of a mask for his royal appearance, but Katara could clearly see he was as desperate as she was.

The night couldn't have come quick enough. Those few hours between her arrival and their meeting were the longest of their lives. When the moon had finally risen and everyone was asleep, Zuko slipped out of his room and ran to his old room.

Standing their, clad in her nightgown, was Katara. She hadn't even bothered to get dressed up. In fact, she had spent an hour in her room trying to convince herself not to go. But she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't because she just missed him so _much_.

So she ran to his old room. When he saw her, he ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. She sank deeper into him, returning the kiss with a desperate plea to not stop, to never stop.

He leaned against the outside of his old room and for a full moment, they only stood their, kissing with the same animalistic urge they felt the first the time they kissed. This time, when they finally parted, he only whispered, "I missed you so much."

Katara responded by digging her face into his neck, making chills run through him. He let her to the ground as he fiddled with the doorknob. He finally opened the door and he stumbled backwards into his room, Katara following him in with her arms around his neck. She closed the door behind her as she commented, "You cut your hair."

That comment should've made both of them smile.

But it didn't. They only shared a look of… of longing. The sadness buried deep within them usually only comes out in heavy sighs or silent tears. But when they see each other, the only thing they could do is kiss each other once more. They pressed their lips together once more, their tears mingling once more as they separate, him kissing her throat, her kissing the back of his neck.

Soon the tears are so much that they aren't sure whose is whose anymore. Their kisses are for comfort now, a frantic comfort that whispers of guilt and emotional turmoil. Katara wrapped her legs around Zuko and he pressed her against the wall as they kissed each other's face, neck, shoulders. It is only when she started to unconsciously unbutton his shirt that they stop. They pulled their lips away from each other and shared a look.

The guilt they felt should be driving them apart. If anything, they should have cancelled these monthly visits to Zuko's palace months ago.

But they don't. They can't because the darkness of their relationship only draws them closer to each other. This fact scared them both and Katara started fidgeting uncomfortably in Zuko's hold. He slowly let her go and they split for the night without even a goodbye.

But Zuko didn't go to his room this time. Instead, when he reached the door to his room, he looked at the room across from his. He looked back at his once before walking to the other door and entering. He closed the door silently behind him and walked over to the sleeping occupant of the room. "Uncle," he said, shaking Iroh gently, "Uncle, I need to speak with you."

Iron emitted a low groan.

"Uncle," Zuko said a little louder, "Uncle, please."

Iroh could hear the tortured edge in his nephew's voice. It's an edge he hadn't heard in so many years. To Iroh, it was louder than the loudest horn and it woke him instantly. His opened wide and he looked straight at his nephew, "What's wrong, Zuko?"

Even though his years as Firelord has taught him perfect composure, the moment he heard Iroh's question, his face crumbled. His turmoil—so familiar, yet so different—came pouring out as he told Iroh _everything_ (not bothering to cut out the grimy details).

Iroh was still blushing a week later as he stood at the front of a ship only a few miles from the North Pole.

Katara was elsewhere on the boat. Iroh was accompanying her on a spiritual journey. Zuko was also on one by himself to the Sun Warriors' Ancient City.

This time, it wasn't for firebending. It was for love.

Everyone else thought that Katara was taking a solo vacation and Zuko was going to the Sun Warriors to negotiate with them the idea of teaching their philosophy to the world.

Only Iroh knew that they were on spiritual retreats. He was also the only one who knew that they were on the most powerful spiritual journey of all: the journey of love.

Even Zuko and Katara didn't know that part of it.

When they arrived at the North Pole, Iroh told her some very good advice: "Once you have what you need to know, do not deny it, whatever it may be. The spirits know far more than us; there is no point in questioning it."

Katara nodded at his words and stepped off the boat into the city she had visited countless times in the past five years. Both Zuko and Katara were greeted as old friends. They were both allowed to go to the spiritual hearts of their respected locations.

Katara stepped into the Spirit Oasis. Immediately, she pulled off her coat, already sweating from the warmth. She walked across the bridge, to the front of the arch overlooking the pond. She sat down in front of the pond Indian-style and looked down at Tui and La, watching them as Aang watched them so many years ago.

This time, when Zuko walked into the Lair of the Firebending Masters, he was allowed to be alone. He walked up the long staircase to the place between the two caves. He sat in the same position as Katara was at the North Pole and looked up at the moon. He watched it carefully, only distracted when he felt the rumble of the earth that signified the awakening of Ran and Shaw, the firebending masters.

They did not come at Zuko this time. Instead, they curved up towards the sky as they came out of their caves. They flew up until they were at least ten miles away from Zuko. Then they stopped and began to fly around the moon in the same fashion Tui and La did in the Oasis pond.

Zuko watched them form a perfect circle around the moon and didn't question it once. Katara and Zuko watched the creatures swim and fly in perfect circles until they were caught in a trance.

They sat in the same position for hours until the sun rose for Zuko and the moon rose for Katara. As the two celestial bodies slowly rose, Katara and Zuko felt themselves start to tire. They're began to relax and by the time the moon and the sun were high in the sky, Katara and Zuko were both lying on the ground with their eyes closed.

At the same time, they both fell asleep and at the same time, their spirits rose out of their bodies and into the spirit world.

They were less than five feet from one another. They were no plagued by any clothes which would only hinder them in this realm. With every step they took closer to one another, every piece that hindered their desires fell away; first the shame, then the desperation, the resistance, the sadness, and finally the guilt until all that is left is what they had managed to bury in spite of their silent affair.

When their lips met, their love and passion was so powerful that it seeped out of them in the form of its own energy. They pressed against each other and somehow ended up on the ground… or was it a cloud?

They covered each other with tender kisses and whispered words they had been concealing for far too long. They released gasps of ecstasy from a feeling inside of them that neither had ever felt from Mai or Aang.

It was beautiful.

_She's beautiful_, Zuko thought.

When they finally finished, they laid against each other, pressed together in an afterglow that was only enhanced by the power of the spirit world. Then Zuko whispered, "I love you."

Katara replied, "I love you too."

They both smiled. He kissed the side of her neck and she clung tighter to him. There were no tears this time. There were no feelings of desperation or guilt.

There was only love. Love of the most powerful and purest kind. It was real.

They held each other as the energy of their love went from a dull pink to a brilliant red. A red of passion that defines their love.

They laid next to each. She had her hand on his cheek stroking lovingly across his scarred skin while he ran his hand up and down her arm. He had his chin on top of her head while her head was buried in his chest, looking off into the distance of sun eternally caught in dusk or dawn; she wasn't sure.

All she knew was that the sun was caught between night and day, in a place where she and Zuko, fire and water were forever in balance.

When they opened their eyes to the land of the living once more, they understood it all. They understood that their love was powerful enough to transcend to a spiritual plane where only they could exist forever in passion and balance.

They didn't know that the realm they were in was actually the heart of the spirit of love, known as Ai.

And it was because of the power of their love that Katara could no longer visit him. Ai would exist through the commencement of their love and alter the destiny of the world in ways that the world cannot afford again.

They know this.

So they wait. They wait for years to come, remaining friends but never physically touching each other because they know what would follow if the do. They live out peaceful lives and help the world recover.

And they wait for their deaths, knowing that after death, their spirits will transcend to that plane forever. All the while, they carry the memory of the affair they had. They remember the passion and the guilt, the love and the fear. And they never speak of it.

And it forever remains their darkest, but best secret.


	5. Awkward

Prompt: Awkward

Katara and Aang had three children, one daughter and two sons.

The eldest son, a waterbender, was named Kuruk after the last water tribe Avatar.

Kuruk had a reputation for being an asshole, for lack of a better word. He cheated in school, he bummed around, and most of all, he was a known lady's man. By fifteen, he had banged enough girls to make his father blush.

So, when he finally reached the age of sixteen, he left the stable wings of home and set out on his own to travel the world in the same fashion his parents and family did; on top of a flying bison.

Of course, his bond with the flying bison was tentative since he wasn't an airbender. But eventually, they came to respect each other.

Fire Lord Zuko, himself, had one daughter. She was beautiful, despite her father's legendary mark on his left eye. She was the spitting image of Ursa, and therefore Azula.

She was a hybrid of the two warring personalities; she had Ursa's gentleness and Azula's ambition (and talent with firebending). She was fiery in every sense of the word and because of this, she was constantly at odds with her apathetic mother.

This girl's name was Zyla.

Zuko was under the impression that Aang and Katara's son was traveling somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.

That's might've been why he was shocked when he saw Kuruk in Zyla's room, but Zuko sincerely doubts it. It was more because he walked into see his best friends' son slobbering his tongue all over Zyla's lips.

A week later, Katara had arrived more embarrassed than angry.

The same couldn't have been said for Zuko. Kuruk had been sent to the dungeons mostly for his own safety; if Zuko saw him again, he probably would have set his butt on fire.

Less than hour later, Zuko, Katara, Zyla, and Kuruk were sitting together alone in Katara's guest room. Zyla and Kuruk explained that it was only a one-time thing, which Zuko and Katara fortunately believed.

Also fortunately, Zyla and Kuruk were not lying. Zyla cared too much about her future and Kuruk's plans to see Ba Sing Se had been delayed a week because of Zuko's temper.

After the talk, Katara and Zuko walked alone into the throne room. It was empty except for the two of them. They took one look at each other and burst out laughing. The whole situation was insane; their children were kissing each other. It was just so ridiculous.

They didn't know that just as Kuruk was climbing back onto his bison, Zyla ran up to him and slammed a ripe one on his lips. And they didn't know that Kuruk returned it.

Of course, they didn't know that long ago, before Katara and Zuko had married, they had had a silent, passionate affair within the darkness of the Fire Nation palace.

But why would they want to know anyway? That would only result in more awkwardness and no one wants that.

Not even them.


End file.
